Well pump



W. F. COX

Jan. 17, 1939.

WELL PUMP Filed Oct. 16, 1936 l 2 Sheets-Sheet l r f r n n fr a r r a a ur 2 0 F922@ mmwf/ wr/r?, A7

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8441s Hummm W. F. COX

Jan. 17, 1939.

WELL PUMP 2 sheets-shea 2 Filed Oct. 16, 1936 Imam/tw FVW/Law?, -77 GOOG,

Patented Jan.. 17, 1939 VUNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELL PUMP Texas Application October 16, 1936, Serial No. 106,042'

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in casing pumps, or that type of pump which is adapted to be lowered into Wells lined with the usual well casing in such manner that the'liquid may be pumped from the well through the casing, as distinguished from pumping the liquid from the well up through a string of tubing which is, in other methods of pumping, suspended in the well with the pump attached to the lower end thereof.

One object of the invention is to provide a casing pump having a working barrel or pump chamber of maximum diameter compared with the over-all dimensions of the entire pump assembly, so that the pump is capable of handling, so to speak, a maximum volume of liquid per stroke. More specifically, the invention contemplates a casing pump wherein the outside or over- 'all dimensions of the pump may be reduced over a large portion of its length, thereby facilitating entry of the pump into crooked well holes without reduction in the area of the Working barrel, or the sides of the working barrel may be increased Ato increase the capacity of the pump. In other words, for any given size, a pumpof the present construction will have a maximum sized working barrel and, therefore, be capable of handling a maximum quantity of liquid per stroke.

Another object is to provide a casing pump in which the packing elements, which surround the pump and seal ofi the well at the pump, whenthe latter is lowered into the well and in normal pumping position, may be disengaged with a minimum of strain upon the sucker rod over and above the stresses that may be imposed upon the rod during the normal operation of the pump.

A still' further object isthe provision of a casing pump wherein certain structural parts heretofore deemed necessary in casing pump assemblies are eliminated, thereby constituting a casing pump of more economical construction.

A still further object is to provide a casing pump in which the sucker rod may be detached from the traveling valve `in the working barrel in the event the latter should become "frozen or stuck in the interior of the working barrel.` "In the preferred construction, the sucker rod can be detached from the traveling valve if the latter should become frozen in the working barrel in the well and the sucker rod then manipulated to disengage the pump packing and remove the pump from the well.

A still further object is to provide a casing pump comprising means by which the weight of the sucker rod may be utilized to aid in effectively sealing the well with the packing elements which,

(Cl. 10S-221) sucker rod should slip relatively to the means by j which it is normally suspended from the walking beam at the ground surface.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all

as will hereinafter be more fully described, and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figures 1, la, 1b and 1c constitute a series of four figures, each illustrating, in vertical cross `section, successively lower portions of the present pump assembly, the four figures together illustrating the entire assembly;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the mandrel for expanding the packer, illustrating the position of the sucker rod when it is desired to impart a rotary motion to the rod independently of the mandrel;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. la; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional View longitudinally of the well casing, illustrating the entire pump assembly.

In casing pumps of the prior art, it has generally been the practice to provide an outer cylindrical member or shell extending substantially the full length of the pumping mechanism from the packing member at the upper end of the pump to a point beyond and below the lower end of the pump, said shell being connected to an anchoring mechanism which serves as a base to arrest downward motion of the pump when the latter is lowered into the well and to thereby effect closure of the packing elements which seal the space in the casing around the pump. In these previous designs, since the working barrel or pump chamber of the pump proper must go inside the shell, it must, of necessity, be smaller in cross-sectional area than the shell, the clearance necessary between the shell and pump barrel being such that the cross-sectional area of the pump barrel is considerably less than the cross-sectional area of the shell. In the present design of the pump, according to this innary to removal of the pump from the well.

vention, the shell is omitted or, rather, the working barrel is made part of the shell, so that the working barrel can be as large as the sheil of the designs of the prior art. The casing pumps .of the general type heretofore developed by me are shown in my copending applications for Letters Patent, Serial Nos. 751,778, led November 6, 1934; 38,449, led August 29,1935; 68,319, led March l1, 1936; and 87,310, led June 25, 1936. The principal function of the shell in the 'designs of these prior applications is to provide ferred, by extending it only a few feet below the pump proper and attaching it through some suitable anchoring device which may be made to f grip the casing at'any desired point and position the pump in the well. Anchoring means of this latter type are fully disclosed and described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,640,756, dated August 20, 1927. In the present apparatus, however, the shell is eliminated, but a spacer yrnay be provided by putting an extension of the y desired length down from the lower part of the pump chamber or working barrel to the bottom of the well or other anchoring device. This extension, in the present instance, only extends down from the bottom end of the pump assembly whereas the shell of the previous designs extendeddown from a-slide member mounted upon an upper member of the pump. Therefore, a ccnsiderable amount of cylindrical material, in fact, 'approximately equal to the length of the pump assembly, is eliminated in the present structure, so that not only does the present structure permit the use of a larger working barrel, but it also results in a more economical construction.

The present pump also improves upon another feature of previousv designs of casing pumps wherein, when the latter have `been packed oif and the packing mechanism has been sealed by the action of a tapered mandrel entering into an expansible elastic sleeve and the pump has been operating until liquid has filled the entire casing, the pressure upon the upper side of the mandrel is quite large, this pressure increasing with the depth of the well or, rather, the depth of submergence of the pump, and with the size of the pump used. 'Ihe upward pressure on the lower side of the mandrel in these previous designs,in most cases, is quite small, so that the net load upon the mandrel in a very deep well with a large casing and apump and mandrel of large diameter is quite large and, in many instances, has been greater than the strength of the sucker rod which is always used to lift the mandrel out of the expansible packer prelimi- In the present design of pump, however, the high pressures which act upon the upper side of the mandrel are conducted to thelower side of the mandrel and equalize all of it except the projection upon the horizontal plane of that part actually Within the expansible packer member and, as a consequence, the strain upon the sucker rod in withdrawing the mandrel from the packer is negligible with the pump of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the

aisance pump is shown with the parts inthe positions they occupy as the pump is being lowered into the casing i of the well. Asillustrated, the working barrel ll is secured to tubular member l2, which is substantially the equivalent of the shells of the prior art pumps but which, in the present instance, forms substantially a continuation of the working barrel of the pump. Slidable within the interior of section l2 is a sleeve at the lower end of the sleeve being closed by a series of packing rings i4. Intermediate its ends, the sleeve is provided with a plurality of lugs l5,slidably received in longitudinally extending recesses l in the shell or section i2 whereby the sleeve and shell may be rotated in unison while the sleeve is still permitted longitudinal movement relatively to the shell. The upper end of the shell l2 carries an expansible sleeve or packer member l1, and the upper end of sleeve i3 projects above the sleeve il and has mounted thereon a mandrel i9 whose lower end portion is tapered to facilitate its entry into the packer il when the sleeve moves downwardly relatively to the remainder of the pump structure. Mandrel i8 is formed with a plurality of apertures i9 through which liquid pumped up by the pump may escape into the well casing and be raised to the surface. The mandrel is also formed 'at its upper end with what is termed a core having a longitudinal bore 2i therein, through which the sucker rod 22 extends, the lower end of the rod projecting into the working barrel i l of the pump, as is well understood. Preferably, the bore 2i is provided with bearings or bushings 23. As is more clearly shown in Fig. 2, the sucker rod is provided with an enlargement, or what is sometimes called a box 2&3, having lugs 25 thereon adapted to enter recesses 23 in the interior surface of mandrel i8, the purpose of these lugs and recesses 25, 2G, being to permit the mandrel to be rotated by the sucker rod when said recesses and lugs are interlocked, the same being shown in interlocked position in Fig. 1, and unlocked in Fig. 2.

At its lower end, the sucker rod 22 carries a traveling valve 2l which may be of any desired type and in the lower end of the working barrel there is a standing valve 28. Attached to the lower end of the working barrel are suitable means for maintaining the pump assembly fixed at a desired point in the Well. In the. present instance, such means consist of anchoring devices such as disclosed in Patent No. 1,640,756, heretofore referred to. As the anchoring device forms no part of the present invention, Va detailed discussion is not necessary, as reference may be had to the aforementioned patent.` Sufilce it to say, in the present instance, that said anchoring device comprises slips 29 pivoted on a. sleeve 30 and adapted tobe expanded into gripping engagement with the Well casing I0 by a ytapered member 3l which, while the pump is being lowered into the well, is held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by springs 32, whose lower en ds engage against an annular shoulder 33 on sleeve 30. -The anchoring device also comprises spring fingers 34, engaging the well casing and tending to arrest movementof the sleeve 30-1elatively to the well casing when the springs 32 are disengaged from the shoulder 33, a movement which can be effectedby rotating the extension 35. That is, the extension 35 is provided with lugs 36 adapted to move pins 31 radially outward when said extension is rotated, the utward moveof the well.

ment of pins 31 dislodging the lower members of spring members 32. Extension 35 can be rotated in this manner through the sucker rod by reason of the fact that the sucker rod is interlocked with the mandrel by the notches and recesses 25, 26, and the sleeve I3, carrying the mandrel, is interlocked with shell I2 and working barrel II, by means of the lugs and recesses I5, I6, so that, when the sucker rod is rotated with these valve lugs and recesses interlocked, the rotary motion of the rod will be transmitted to the mandrel and sleeve I3, thence to the working barrel and, as the extension 35 is originally connected to the working barrel, the extension will also be rotated, and when the lugs 36 move the pins 31 outwardly and dislodge the lower ends of spring members 32 and the tapered member 3| will then move downwardly relative to sleeve 30 and slips 29, because the former is held stationary in the casing by means of the spring members 34. This downward movement of the tapered member 3I will cause the slips 29 to be expanded radially into locking engagement with the well casing. Of course, this particular form of anchoring means is not essential as the extension could be made longer, even to the extent of the bottom The principal point is that the anchoring means, whatever their nature, are suspended directly from the lower end of the working barrel and the so-called shell, which, in effect, is a continuation of theworking barrel, does not render it necessary to 4use a working barrel of less diameterthan the so-called shell. As will be seen, the working barrel itself constitutes the exterior surface of the major portion of the pump assembly and the only restriction inthe volume of liquid that can be handled by the pump barrel is the diameter of the sleeve I3 carrying the mandrel I8. In other words, compared with the prior art casing pumps previously referred to, it might be said that the diameter of the working barrel is substantially dependent only upon the diameter of the well casing, so that, where desired, a working barrel of maximum diameter -may be utilized to secure a maximum capacity so far as concerns the volume of liquid to be handled by the pump. In addition, as previously mentioned, there is the fact of economy in that it is not necessary to use a shell extending substantially from the upper end of the barrel to a point below the barrel for attachment of anchoring devices. After the pump assembly proper has been brought to rest at the desired position in the well, whether the anchoring means disclosed, or other means, are employed, the downward movement of the sucker rod continues, so that the mandrel I8 enters the packer I1 expanding the latter into sealing engagement with the Wall of the well casing. In order to insure effective sealing of the Well by the'packer I1, the sucker rod is provided with a special rod box 38 which, by reciprocating the sucker rod,`may be caused to impact against the upper end of the core 20 of the mandrel, thus forcing the mandrel into the packer I1. It will be appreciated, of course, that the distance between the special box 38 and the upper end of core 28 will be less than the distance between the lower end of the traveling valve and the standing valve or the traveling valve.

diameter, not exceeding the diameter of the upper end of the core 20. The special box 38, therefore, has two functions. First, by reciprocating the sucker rod, said box can be utilized for tamping the mandrel I8 into the expansible packer I1 and, secondly, by reason of the difference in the spacing of the box 38 with respect to the core 28 and of the traveling and standing valves 21, 28, the box 38 serves as a stop for limiting the movement of the traveling valve 21 with respect to the standing valve. Of course, the special rod box 38 being ixed on the sucker rod, the impacting of the box against the core is the equivalent of imposing the weight of the sucker rod on the mandrel.

After the mandrel has been forced tightly into the packer, the sucker rod is raised to bring the traveling valve to the proper position in the working barrel and pumping may be started by reciprocating the sucker rod in the usual manner. The liquid is pumped up through the bore of the working cylinder into the mandrel and thence through the openings I9 into the well casing and, eventually, up the well to the surface. When it is desired to remove the pump from the well, the sucker rod is raised above the normal pumping range until the special rcd box 24 comes into contact with the lower end of the core within the mandrel and, then, with a further lifting movement of the sucker rod, the mandrel is raised out of contact with the packer, so that the latter is free to retract of its own elasticity. The liquid in the casing above the pump then flows back through the space between the mandrel and the packer and down through the annular space between'the, tubular members I2 and I3 and then out into the casing through the drain openings 40 in member I2. This relieves the weight of the liquid which would otherwise be imposed on the submerged mandrel and packer, so that considerable less power is required and less strain is imposed upon the sucker rod in pulling or raising the pump out of the well. It will be understood that where the anchoring device, illustrated in the present instance, is used, the slips are of such formation as to prevent downward movement of the anchor in the casing but will not interfere with upward movement of the pump structure.

ItV not infrequently occurs in various forms of reciprocating well pumps that, on account of sand in the liquid, or for some other reason, the traveling valvewill stick or become "frozen in the working barrel. Should the traveling valve become frozen in the pump of the present invention, it will be apparent that the sucker rod could not be moved relatively to the working barrel for the purpose of releasing the packer, as just described. Therefore, in order to release the packer,

which is, of course, a necessary preliminaryA in pulling the pump from the well, the present invention contemplates the provision of a releasable connection between the sucker rod and the As shown in Fig. 1e, the lower end of the sucker rod is provided with a threaded socket adapted to receive a threaded shank 4I on the traveling valve cage 42, the threads on this shank and socket being left-handed, as distinguished from the threaded connections between the several sections of the sucker rod string, all of which sections are connected together by a screw threaded connection formed with right-handed threads. In other words, by turning the sucker rod string in the proper direction, relative to the traveling valve and traveling valve cagawhen the latter are frozenf in the Working barrel, the sucker rod can be detached from the traveling lvalve cage. Therefore, when the traveling valve becomes frozen, the pump can still be raised, simply by detaching the sucker rod string from the valve and then elevating it to release the packer, whereupon the'entire pump assembly can be raised to the surface after the liquid above the pump has drained to a point below the pump, as previously described.

What I claim is: u

1. In a Well pump of the character described, a working barrel, a shell extending above said barrel, means associated with said shell for sealing the Well hole around theshell, means secured to and positioned below thebarrel for positioning the pump in the well, and means loperable by rotary motion of the barrel for actuating said positioning means, said barrel being exposed between said shell and positioning means and constituting the exterior surface of the intermediate portion of the pump assembly.

2. In a well pump of the character described, a working barrel, a shell secured to and extending above the barrel, an expansible packer on said shell, a sleeve within said shell slldable relatively to the shell and barrel, means on said sleeve for expanding said packer, and normally inoperative means for positioning the barrel in a well, said positioning means being rendered operative by rotary motion of said barrel.

3. In a well pump, a working barrel, a standing valve in said barrel, a traveling valve in said barrel, a sucker rod detachably secured to said traveling valve, said rod being releasable from said traveling valve when the latter is frozen in the barrel and means on the sucker rod for raising said pump with said sucker rod detached :from the traveling valve.

4. In a `Well pump, a working barrel, a packer amant rod extending into said barrel, a traveling valve on said rod within the barrel, a releasable connection between said rod and valve, whereby the rod can be detached from the valve when the latter is frozen in the barrel and means on said rod flor raising the pump with s'aid rod detached from said valve.

6. In a well pump, a working barrel, means for sealing the Well adjacent the barrel, a sucker rod extending into the barrel, means'on the rod exterior of the barrel for actuating said sealing means to seal the well, means on said rod within the barrel yfor releasing said sealing means, a standing valve in said barrel, and a traveling valve on the rod Within the barrel, the means on the rod for actuating said sealing means also forming a stop to limit the movement of the traveling valve toward said standing valve, said traveling valve being detachably secured to the sucker rod and releasable therefrom when the valve is frozen inthe barrel. y

7. In a well pump, a Working barrel, a shell secured to and extending above said barrel, an expansible packer on said shell, a sucker rod extending into `said barrel, a traveling valve detachably secured to said rod, means carried by said rod for expanding said packer, radially expansible means carried by the barrel for anchoringy said barrel in the Vwell, and means operable CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTI O .Patent No.' 2,1llloll5.

January l? 1959 WILLIAM FRED cox It is hereby certified that the above numbered patent was erroneously issued to "LAMIEX EQUIPMENT CORPORATIO, oflFortv Worth, Texas, a corporation of Texas", as assignee by mesnerassignments, whereas said E patent should have been issued to the inventor, said "COX" as shown by the record of assignments in' this office; andl that the said Letters Patent should be read.with this correction therein that the samemay conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of September, A. D. 1939.

'i Seal).

Henry VanA Arsdafle,

Acting Commissioner of Patents'. 

